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First gay couple married in Nashville after Supreme Court ruling

Same-sex marriages began in Nashville and other Tennessee counties on Friday, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case to overturn bans on the marriages across the nation, the Tennessean reports.

Gov. Bill Haslam said Friday morning the state will comply with the court’s ruling. An email went out to county clerks about 10:30 a.m. saying they did not need to wait for more directives.

Lauren Mesnard, 25, and Nikki VonHaeger, 26, arrived at the offices of Davidson County Clerk Brenda Wynn soon after learning of the high-court’s decision.

“The people of Tennessee have recently voted clearly on this issue,” Haslam said in a statement. “The Supreme Court has overturned that vote. We will comply with the decision and will ensure that our departments are able to do so as quickly as possible.”

Weddings began after Wynn got the go-ahead from state officials and after a computer upgrade listed just Applicant 1 and Applicant 2 on the marriage licenses.

About 12:55 p.m., Mesnard and VonHaeger became the first same-sex couple to get married in Nashville.